The Autograph
by DaughteroftheOneTrueKing
Summary: Harry feels responsible for the death of Colin Creevey. Can he find a way to make some kind of amends? Warning for depressing subjects!


**AN: WELCOME BACK MY WONDERFUL READERS! It's been much too long, I know, but I'm returning for a while now. This time, Season Six of QLFC has begun, and guess what? I'm a Captain now! My team, the Wimbourne Wasps, will be doing our best to win this season and reclaim our title of Champion from Season Four.**

 **This is Round One, of course, and the theme is Never Have I Ever. Basically, every position has to write about something they've never done before. Captains prompt is to write about a character they have never written before. I have a total of 59 chapters in this story, so I've done quite a lot of characters. There are only a few that I have not done before, so it was difficult to figure out which one I wanted to do. I have decided to go with… well, I'll let you find it out. Hope you enjoy this!**

 **Word Count: 1457**

Harry's stomach was twisted in huge knots, and for a very good reason. Today was the day of Colin Creevey's funeral. The foolishly brave boy had snuck from safety to join the Battle of Hogwarts, a battle that Harry had caused. Of course, Harry knew that there had been nothing he could have truly done to stop the battle. That still didn't make him feel any better about the situation. As much as he knew he was not responsible for Colin's decision to join the battle, he couldn't help feeling responsible.

He had been slain by an unknown Death Eater during the fighting, but it wasn't certain. Colin Creevey was one of many casualties borne from the chaos, unwitnessed in the instant. His funeral would be one of so many others.

Harry could have attended any of the funerals and been welcome (he'd already attended Remus and Tonks', which had been extremely difficult, and Fred's, during which Ginny had his hand in a death grip the whole time, brimming with unshed tears). He didn't precisely know why he'd decided to go to Colin's of all of them. Funerals were always extremely uncomfortable to Harry, and now they were much more unpleasant since he'd been to so many recently. He knew that he had to go to Colin's, as insignificant as it may have seemed to others. Maybe it was because the boy was so much more youthful in death. Perhaps it was because Colin had so much of an impact on the people who did know him with his excitable personality and likability despite being quite annoying much of the time.

He had gotten up much earlier than he'd intended to. The day's events loomed over him, and he had been unable to fall back asleep. He had eaten breakfast hours ago, just a plain piece of toast and a bowl of cereal, something he'd been unable to have while they had been on the search for Horcruxes. He felt so out of place in this normal setting. It was almost wrong, in a way he couldn't quite pinpoint.

The funeral was scheduled for ten exactly, so he hurriedly grabbed his wand off the countertop and began the short walk from the Leaky Cauldron to the small church where the Creevey's had arranged the ceremony to be held. Magical transportation was out of the questions, because while Dennis and the Creevey parents knew about magic, the family friends and other assorted Muggles did not. While part of the reason for this was to be able to maintain the Statute of Secrecy, it was also "home" for his family, who would have felt out of place among the magical attendees.

On the walk, Harry thought about Colin and his family. He hadn't seen them at all yet, and wondered how they were coping with his death. He didn't know too much about Dennis, and even less about his parents (he only knew that his father was a milkman). They would never be able to praise their son when he got good grades anymore, see him have a girlfriend, so many milestones…

His thoughts were stopped short as he arrived at the chapel. It was a small establishment, with a tall spire and grand front doors. People were streaming in; apparently Colin had been pretty well-known in his neighborhood. Of course, Harry shouldn't have been surprised at this. Colin was extremely likable, even though his excitability and persistence often grated on those around him.

Inside the church, well dressed people were talking quietly to acquaintances, some of them crying, others with reserved, gloomy expressions.

Harry only saw a few people he knew: professors from Hogwarts, a few people from Colin's year, and Hermione in a corner. So many strangers were here, so many people who didn't know the true circumstances of Colin's death.

Ordinarily, Harry would have gone to talk with Hermione, but he saw someone he had wanted to avoid heading towards him. It was too late to make an excuse to go talk to Hermione.

Dennis, Colin's younger brother. While Harry had known Colin as an excitable photographer who always wanted his autograph, he hadn't really known Dennis very well. From what he knew, Dennis was a lot like his brother, and Harry was sure his parents saw Colin when they looked at him. He didn't want to face the younger boy who probably blamed him for his brother's death.

"Hi, Harry," Dennis said. He seemed remarkably calm, which made Harry more nervous than if he'd been a grief-filled wreck.

"Hi, Dennis," Harry replied. He didn't really know what to say to Dennis. "I'm sorry about this."

Dennis then said something that completely took Harry by surprise. "Harry, don't blame yourself. I know you probably do, but Colin was the one who snuck into the battle. You didn't tell him to do that. He was always stubborn and reckless. That's why he got put in Gryffindor."

Harry was surprised when Dennis's voice took on an almost bitter tone as he continued. "He also wasn't just going to let everyone else defend the school. We both love the place, and he wasn't leaving without helping. I would have come, but Mom and Dad didn't let me go."

Harry took a breath. Dennis words had allowed his nerves to settle a little bit, eased from the guilt he'd been feeling. There was still one thing Harry had to ask. "How are you so calm about this?"

Dennis paused a moment before he answered the question. "I guess I've realized that there's no use being upset. It's not going to change what happened. It won't bring him back. All I can do is just try and make sure he didn't die for nothing."

He started to leave, but turned back one last time, reaching into his pocket and handing Harry something. "Here. I found this in Colin's things. I know he'd want you to have it."

Dennis walked away, leaving a photograph in Harry's grasp. He studied it, remembering Colin's love of photography. It was a picture of Colin and Harry, back in their second year when he had asked for an autograph every other day. As he watched, the small figures waved at him from the photo. He looked kind of unhappy to be there, while Colin radiated excitement, just as he usually did.

Harry felt sad as he stared at it. Colin had asked for an autograph countless times, and Harry had always refused. He still felt embarrassed at the prospect that someone could admire him so much that they wanted his signature on an insignificant piece of paper. He regretted never giving one to Colin now, but that couldn't be changed.

The ceremony began a few minutes later, and Harry thought it was everything that Colin would have wanted. The minister gave his regrets that such a young life had been snatched prematurely. Apparently the story the Muggles knew was that he had been the victim of an unfortunate mugging. It was easy to believe, because while he had probably been killed by the Avada Kedavra curse, falling debris had caused huge bruises on his pale skin. It wasn't totally convincing, but enough that no one doubted it.

Colin's mother said a few words about her son, barely making it through without sobbing uncontrollably. This was the moment that got to Harry. This was a mother who had lost her child. It was something that should not have happened, and yet it had. How must she feel, knowing that she allowed her son to return to the school?

The ceremony came to a close, and people went up to the casket to pay final respects to Colin and his family. Harry didn't get up immediately, allowing others to go ahead first. He stared at the picture, thinking of a way he could do something to make a difference. Of course, it was silly to think he could. The Killing Curse was irreversible.

Then he got an idea. It wouldn't fix anything, but it would alleviate some guilt about the situation. Pulling a pen from his pocket, he wrote on the photograph.

 _Colin, I'm sorry. This is long overdue, but here you go. Finally. Harry Potter._

An autograph. The first, and probably only one he would ever give. Standing up, he went up to the altar. The pale, lifeless body of Colin laid in the simple casket. He was hit again by just how small he had been. Harry laid the photograph on his folded hands, still those of a child, between a bouquet of tulips someone had also brought.

Harry smiled ruefully at the thought that Colin had finally gotten the thing he'd always wanted: his acknowledgement.


End file.
